


Fair Chance

by orphan_account



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-24
Updated: 2014-11-24
Packaged: 2018-02-26 19:56:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2664431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry really should stop kissing men in the gents.</p><p>OR</p><p>Draco is overly suspicious, Harry is utterly oblivious, what a pair they make.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fair Chance

It was going to be okay. All he had to do was drop off the potions and settle the debt and everything was going to be okay. He could go home to Scorp and they’d be okay for the month. He could worry about the rest later.

"Malfoy!! Wait up"

Fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck.

It’s only years of upbringing and years of walking the line in the war that allows him to shift the package he’s carrying to his hip and turn to greet the man now standing in front of him, panting from running in the snow to catch him.

"Auror Potter. How may I be of service?"

The man in question blinks at him in bewilderment, before glancing down to notice his uniform, shaking his head and consequently a flurry of whiteness.

"Malfoy…. it’s a surprise to see you in the area. Last I saw of you was 6 years ago. Last I heard of you- you were shmoozing in Paris with the newest lady Malfoy."

"My parole is up, Auror Potter. Has been… for three years now. I am no longer required to report my where-abouts to the ministry…. Unless something has changed?"

Three years. Three years his parole has been up. It’d been okay at first- him and Astoria had done well for themselves in Paris. And then… when his parole had ended he’d wanted to come home, but she’d put up a fight. Two years later she’d left him for a man she’d apparently been seeing almost as long as they’d been married and he’d taken Scorp and gone home. Except despite his parole being up… finding work was harder than expected. 

"Oh stop with that Auror Potter nonsense. I’m not asking as a ministry official- I’m asking as… an old classmate."

"Well if that’s the case, I have places to be Potter. I bid you farewell."

 

and that would have been the end of it, should have been the end of it. Except Potter keeps showing up everywhere and Draco is no longer so sure that the man isn't following him on ministry orders.

At the pub, making a scene wearing just his shirtsleeves despite the fact that any decent wizard wouldn’t be seen without his robes. Outside of gringotts chatting with the Weasley bint. At the brewers, at the library, it doesn’t seem to matter where he goes, Potter is there. It's only here, at Legends that some of the tension leaves his shoulders, positive that even in the man might traverse the lines between muggle and wizarding worlds, he wouldn't be here. 

"Malfoy, Fancy seeing you here!"

and maybe it’s that the last time Potter walked in on him looking in a mirror in a bathroom it ended in blood shed, maybe it’s what bathroom they’re in- maybe it’s that he’s got 20 galleons to his name and a limited amount of clients left, and Scorp deserves a decent Yule- but something in him snaps. Swirling he slams leather? covered shoulders against the wall of the men’s loo.

"Why the fuck are you following me, Potter!"

In his defense, Harry barely looks put off, adopting the demeanor he’d often seen Granger take with the red headed part of the golden trio.

"I’m not following you."

"Then why are you here?!"

"The same reason you are, I suppose."

"What are you even talking about?" It’s almost a growl because he’s just done, he’s the most done he’s ever been, and of course it’s Potter to push him to this point. He was here at a clients request, had stopped in the bathroom before leaving before going home to tuck his boy in.

"Well, we’re at a gay club. and usually when I’m in this position here, I do something like this."

and Draco doesn’t know what to think because suddenly he isn’t pressing Potter against the wall to interrogate him, the auror has a grip on his shoulders and is trying to stick his tongue in his mouth. Draco jumps back spluttering, and then with a quick glance to make sure there are no muggles about, apparates out.

-

Most of him wants to send a scathing howler to his client for having them meet at a gay muggle bar, and especially a gay muggle bar that Harry Potter visits. Except, it’s unlikely that his client even knows that the man is gay or where he goes clubbing. Anyone with that information would definitely sell it to the prophet for a pretty sickle.

And considering how strapped he is, it doesn’t make any sense that he doesn’t go screaming to whoever took Skeeters place. Draco groans, dropping his face in his hands as Scorpius looks up at him curiously from his book.

"What’s wong?"

"Nothings wrong."

The small boy wrinkles his nose, “Sure?”

"Sure. It’s okay. "

"s’okay."

"Come on. You want to go to the park? Let’s go to the park." 

It isn’t the lavish life style he had himself growing up, but Scorpius doesn’t know the difference, and besides.. it probably would have done him some good as a child to be more humble anyway. It’s moments like these, watching the small boy on the swings, or rolling down a hill, that he knows he made the right decision.

"I didn’t know you had a son."

He doesn’t bother turning, he knows who it is, because after all, if he’s going to find Draco at a muggle gay bar, he’s going to find him at a park not that far outside of wizarding territory.

"His name is Scorpius. He turns four soon."

Harry waits quietly, leaning against the fence from the other side, “I really wasn’t following you- you know. I’m… I don’t know why you were there the other night. but thank you for not making it front page news.”

"I couldn’t do that… not matter how much I might need the cash, it isn’t worth it to ruin your life. not anymore."

and he’s tired and he just wants to go home now. Except Scorpius deserves this- a day out a chance to just be. 

"What do you mean- need the cash? not that I’m not thankful that ruining my life isn’t your day job anymore but…"

"No one wants to hire a former death eater, Potter. The Malfoy fortune was seized when my father was given the kiss."

That stings, because usually he doesn’t talk about it, doesn’t think about everything that happened between then and now. After all, he has Scorpius and that’s all that matters. He wouldn’t trade all the galleons in the world for that little boy.

"You did your time. and it’s not like you had much of a choice anyway with the circumstances. Are you sure there isn't anyone out there that will hire you?"

"No one Potter, don’t you think I haven’t tried? don’t you think I’m trying everything for him. Insult my character all you like, but I'd do anything for my boy."

"Sorry. you know me, speak before I think and all that."

and there’s silence. and then Scorpius seems to notice that his dad isn’t calling out to him anymore and runs over to meet the stranger. 

"Who you?"

“‘Sup little man. I’m Harry. Harry Potter. I… I knew your father back in school.”

Which is enough for Scorpius and then he asks him to push him on the swings, so Harry goes through the gate and Draco is left watching. 

-

A week later Draco has a job as an assistant to a local potion’s master. It doesn’t pay much, but it’s better than selling questionably legal potion to even more questionable wizards. He’s grateful, he is- except he knows he applied for the position two months ago and was turned down, and it doesn’t make sense that the man suddenly owls him with an offer.

Two weeks later when Harry shows up during his lunch break, Draco counts it as a confirmation.

"Potter. I should have known."

"I haven’t the foggiest what you’re referring to. Was just curious if maybe you wanted to join me for some lunch?" and he’s holding up the bag in one hand and he looks so helpful and… 

"Fine, in the back."

and it isn’t as bad as he imagines it could be. Potter isn’t boastful, doesn’t mention what he’s done. Asks how work is going, whether or not he plans to celebrate the solstice this year. About whether or not he plans for Scorpius to go to Hogwarts.

and once a week he keeps showing up. And his boss doesn’t complain because after all, having the famous Harry Potter as a regular in his shop means more business, but it’s starting to grind on Draco’s nerves.

"What do you want? Like what do you want from me? I can’t be your little kept secret? I’m not a rent boy potter."

Unlike being pinned to a bathroom wall, the accusation startles Harry.

"I’m not… I wouldn’t.. that wasn’t"

"What? You’re not gay? not got a thing for me? because kissing me in the gents kind of contradicts that. Though maybe finding out that I have son turned you off. but then… this.. you got me this job and you keep coming around and…. what do you want?"

"For you to get a fair chance? For us to get a fair shot? at friendship? or… more. if you’re okay with that. I dunno I don’t typically think that far ahead when I’m kissing men in the gents at the gay bar. Not that that happens all that often either. but still… this isn’t some great scheme. I know slytherins feel the need to have a strong hold on paranoia but… you know me.. gryffindor… we’re simple folk."

"and the job?"

"It wasn’t fair that people weren’t giving you a chance. I knew there was an opening- I spoke to him and said I knew someone who was looking. That’s all. still no grand conspiracy."

"I still don’t want to be your little secret or anything. Does the wizarding world even know you’re gay?"

and that’s when Harry looks away sheepishly, shrugging his shoulders.

"Why make a big deal of it before anything happens. but if it happens.. What do you even want? me to walk out the door right now and scream that I kissed you in the gents? don’t think that would go well for either of us. but I don’t do too well with the secret thing if that’s what you’re worried about."

"Merlin no screaming about it thank you very much. I don’t need to end up on the front page of the prophet as the defiler of the boy who lived"

That gets him an eyebrow raise and silence settles about them once more until Draco finally breaks it with a, “So what now?”

"Now… I finish eating my sandwich before going back to work. and maybe… tomorrow night I could bring dinner over? For the three of us? if you’d be okay with that?"

Draco exhales slowly, before nodding, "That sounds good to me."

**Author's Note:**

> and they lived happily ever after the end.
> 
> ....  
> So I just realized how much I do the ..... thing and I should probably work on not doing that.


End file.
